By Charles Igwe
The incorrupt body of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati will be brought to Rome for veneration during the Jubilee of Youth from July 26 to August 4.
His coffin, currently kept in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Turin, will be transferred to the Basilica of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva in Rome. There, it will be open for thousands of youths from around the world to pray before and reflect on his inspiring life.
Frassati, who died in 1925 at just 24 years old, lived a life full of deep faith, generosity, and service. Though he came from a wealthy family, he dedicated himself to helping the poor, climbing mountains, and standing for truth and justice. He was known for quietly giving food and medicine to the needy in the poorest areas of Turin.
Originally, Frassati was to be canonized on August 3 during the Jubilee, but the Vatican has now announced that his sainthood ceremony will take place on September 7, together with that of another young role model, Blessed Carlo Acutis.
The Vatican Jubilee Office confirmed that Frassati’s relics will remain in the basilica until August 4, giving young pilgrims attending the Jubilee events a special chance to honour a man often called “the Man of the Beatitudes.” Pope Leo XIV is expected to celebrate the Closing Mass of the Jubilee on August 3 at Tor Vergata University in Rome.
This year also marks 100 years since Frassati died from polio. Remarkably, when his body was exhumed in 1981 during the process leading to his beatification, it was found incorrupt—a rare sign in the Church believed to point to the promise of resurrection and eternal life.
